If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 106

Locke supported his injured right hand with a brace and pulled the trigger with his left. Just as he had promised, his aim was nearly perfect, even with his non-dominant hand.

Georgiana also helped Locke, firing carefully to avoid vital areas.

There weren’t many pursuers, so they were quickly dealt with. However, with only a few bullets left, they couldn’t head back to the main road. Georgiana instead led Locke deeper into the forest.

Using the compass attached to his pocket watch, Locke gauged their direction. The terrain would be rough, but the forest route was a shorter distance to the estate than the open plains, so he led Georgiana that way.

“It seems there’s no one chasing us anymore.”

At Locke’s words, Georgiana finally leaned against a tree and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

Taking a deep breath, she looked down at her own appearance and sighed. Her torn dress, heels scuffed and ruined, was now covered in dust like some ancient relic from tumbling along the dirt path.

Her plan to return the dress to Raymond after the party was now in shambles.

If her dress looked like this, she could only imagine the state of her hair and face.

Still, she was grateful to be alive. Georgiana intended to rest just a bit before setting off toward the estate again. And of all times—

Drip. Drip.

Rain began falling from the sky without warning.

She and Locke looked up at the same time, both wearing equally dismayed expressions.

Though the distant sky remained clear, dark rainclouds loomed directly overhead, as if they had stopped mid-crossing over the mountain.

Rain poured like buckets being emptied, soaking Georgiana and Locke in an instant. They took shelter beneath a leafy tree, but the sheer volume of rain made their body temperatures drop rapidly.

“Please wait here a moment. I’ll check if there’s any shelter nearby.”

Seeing her trembling, Locke turned to leave, but Georgiana grabbed his arm.

“I-I don’t want to be alone.”

Wild animals wouldn’t likely appear in this downpour, but she was afraid of losing sight of him in the dark.

“If we stay in the rain any longer, we could be in real danger. I’ll be quick.”

He looked regretfully at her lips, now pale blue.

But from Georgiana’s perspective, Locke looked even worse. Though the bleeding had slowed, his arm was still seeping blood, and his face was pale from the blood loss.

“Let’s go together. I won’t let you go alone.”

Seeing her stubborn shake of the head, Locke gave in and nodded.

“All right. Let’s go together.”

Still anxious, Georgiana gripped the hem of his coat tightly.

Seeing this, Locke gently took her hand off his coat and interlaced his fingers with hers.

“This way seems safer.”

Suddenly holding hands with Locke, she couldn’t shake him off. The warmth of his hand was comforting in the cold. His hand was many times warmer than hers.

Blushing, Georgiana followed closely behind.

Before long, they found a space between large rocks where two people could lie down comfortably. It wasn’t a cave, but there was enough slope to keep the rain from entering.

“This place should be safe.”

“Yes. What a relief.”

Even after entering, Georgiana didn’t let go of his hand right away.

Locke looked down at her pale face and raised the corner of his mouth.

“The sharpshooter who could hit a target with her eyes closed must have returned to the mansion.”

He still found room to joke.

“Indeed. Maybe we parted ways at the base of the mountain.”

Chuckle.

At her response, he shook with laughter.

He looked around the space and wrung out his wet jacket to lay it on the ground, then guided her to sit on it.

“It’s wet, but better than lying directly on stone.”

The dark jacket hadn’t shown it clearly, but now that it was off, his doublet and white shirt were soaked in blood.

“Would it be all right if I take these off as well?”

The bloodied clothes were impossible to keep wearing.

Even in the dark, the stains were clearly visible. The wound must be deeper than she had thought.

With a sympathetic expression, Georgiana nodded.

Only after receiving her permission did Locke remove his shirt and begin rewrapping the loosened bandage.

“I’ll do it.”

Though it felt awkward to see his bare skin, now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Georgiana carefully wrapped the cleanest part of the cloth around his wound and tied the ribbon tightly to keep it from loosening.

She hadn’t meant to stare, but even in the darkness, his body—now clearly exposed—was noticeably thinner than before. Scars that hadn’t been there before now marked him in various places.

They were likely remnants from the battlefield.

The large scar etched across the center of his chest suggested just how dangerous his past had been.

With a small sigh, Georgiana reached out to take the shirt he was about to shake off.

“Give it here. I’ll rinse it in the rain.”

“It’s all right. You must be tired. Get some rest while you can.”

“No, if I wash it now, it might be dry enough to wear again tomorrow.”

She wasn’t sure the bloodstains would come out, but doing something felt better than doing nothing. However, as she stood and reached to take the shirt, determined to grab it from him, her hand accidentally touched Locke’s bare chest, and she recoiled in surprise.

“Locke… Are you in pain?”

His skin burned like a scalding pot.

As he tried to pull away, she stepped closer, rose onto her toes, and pressed her palm to his forehead.

It was hotter than the soup she had eaten that morning.

Only now did she realize how warm his hand had been earlier.

“Were you really planning to walk around in this state, looking for shelter?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“If this isn’t bad, then how much worse does it need to get?”

When Georgiana raised her voice, he looked away sheepishly, clearly embarrassed to be caught.

She took the shirt from his hand, rinsed it under the pouring rain, and helped him put it back on. It seemed the best way to bring his fever down.

Then she sat him down on the jacket he had laid out earlier.

Tearing her already ragged skirt up to the knees, she fashioned a headscarf and placed it on his forehead. Her legs were now fully exposed, but this was no time for modesty.

“Hmm, hmm. At this rate, your clothes won’t survive the night.”

He cleared his throat, eyeing the shortened dress.

“It’s fine. If I need more fabric, I’ll just steal your trousers, Mr. Locke Rivern.”

“You’re welcome to take them now. If it’s for something like that, I’m happy to oblige.”

“I guess you’re feeling a little better?”

As he jokingly reached for his belt buckle, Georgiana raised an eyebrow at him—but her eyes remained filled with concern.

“How long have you been like this? It must’ve hurt a lot to get this far…”

“Only just now. There’s no need to worry.”

“That’s not true. Are you really going to keep lying?”

“It’s really nothing. I got soaked in the rain—that’s all. I’ve had fevers before in battle. They always passed quickly. People even used to say I had the endurance of a beast…”

Suddenly, he swayed.

“Locke!”

She caught his collapsing body. His shirt was nearly dry already—that’s how high his fever had climbed.

So much for being fine.

Georgiana laid him down and rolled up his discarded doublet to place under his head. She wanted to strip off his clothes again and cool him with more water, but his consciousness was slipping fast. No matter how many times she called him, he didn’t respond.

Worried, she bit her lip and rushed out from the rocks.

The rain still poured relentlessly.

Fully clothed, she let herself be drenched. Her body, already chilled, now felt frozen to the bone, but she endured it.

By the time her lips turned from blue to a deep violet, she returned to Locke and lay beside him, her ice-cold body pressed tightly against his burning one.

His heat transferred to her, and her soaked clothes began to dry quickly.

She repeated the process several times.

Only near dawn, when his fever finally began to drop, did she collapse beside him and fall asleep, utterly exhausted.